


A Dog’s Tale

by badly_knitted



Category: FAKE (Manga)
Genre: Animals, Community: fan_flashworks, Dogs, Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M, Pets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-07-29 14:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16265684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badly_knitted/pseuds/badly_knitted
Summary: Out for a walk on a windy day, Dee and Ryo come across a lost dog with a rather unfortunate name.





	1. Poor Dog

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Challenge 206: Name at fan_flashworks. 
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

It was a blustery day in early fall, not the kind of weather Dee would usually choose to venture out in if he didn’t have to, because it messed up his hair unless he used a ton more gel than usual, which he’d rather not have to resort to. He preferred not to look like he’d spent ages styling it, even if he had. But despite the strong winds, the sky was blue and almost cloudless, and after a week of rainy days spent mostly indoors or in the car, the sunshine was too tempting to resist, which was why he and Ryo were strolling through the park on their day off, getting buffeted about and occasionally almost blown off their feet.

Dee glanced sidelong at his partner; Ryo looked like he was loving every minute, but then he always seemed to enjoy windy days, saying they made him feel alive. They certainly brought a glow to his cheeks.

They were deep in the park, well away from the main paths and other people, when Ryo nudged Dee’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being followed,” he said with a grin.

“What?” Dee took a surreptitious peek from the corner of his eye, then let his breath out in a snort of amusement. “A dog?” He looked back over his shoulder at the small dog plodding gainfully along in their wake. “Where’s the owner?” He stopped and looked around, but there was nobody else in sight. The dog kept coming until it reached Dee, then promptly sat on his foot, leaning against his leg and giving a heavy sigh.

Ducking his head, Ryo tried not to laugh at the expression of horror on Dee’s face; Dee wasn’t exactly a dog person, he much preferred cats, but it seemed this particular dog had latched on to him for some unknown reason.

Dee stared at the small animal in consternation. “Uh, Ryo, there’s a dog on my foot.”

“I noticed,” Ryo chuckled. “I think it likes you.”

The wind gusted around them, flapping the dog’s long, drooping ears back and forth.

“What does it want?” Dee threw a quick glance at his partner before returning his gaze to the dog.

“How should I know? Maybe it’s lost and looking for shelter from the wind.”

“I’m not its personal windbreak,” Dee grumbled. “It’s gettin’ hair on my pants.” He shifted his foot, trying to push the dog away.

“Don’t be mean, Dee! Look at the poor little thing, it’s hardly more than a puppy; the wind probably keeps blowing it over.”

Staring down at the dog, Dee sighed. Ryo was right, it was rather small, one of those sausage dogs with the long body and short legs, he forgot what the breed was called, something German sounding. It had its eyes scrunched shut against the wind and looked thoroughly miserable. Damn, why did he have to be such a sucker for anything defenceless and in distress?

With a resigned shake of his head, Dee gave in to the inevitable. “I suppose we should find out who it belongs to and make sure it gets home.” Bending over, he fumbled for the dog’s collar, where a brass name disc and a small plastic cylinder hung. “What’s your name, dog?” Dee turned the disc over, squinting a little at the writing engraved on it, then his eyebrows went up, and he started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Ryo asked, crouching down beside the dog.

“It’s called Dick! Who in their right mind would give a dog a name like that? Imagine having to call for it to come!” His shoulders started shaking and he wiped away tears that had nothing to do with the wind. “Poor thing!”

“Oh dear.” Ryo’s cheeks, already pink from the wind, turned bright red and he started to laugh too. Dick the dog just stared mournfully up at them, as if it was already accustomed to being made fun of over its name. Biting his lip in an effort to stop himself laughing, Ryo reached for the plastic cylinder, unscrewed it, and carefully pulled out the slip of paper containing the owner’s contact details, gripping it tightly to keep it from being blown away.

“Give me the phone number and I’ll call the owner so they can come and fetch him.” Dee straightened up, digging in his pocket for his phone, still sniggering over the unfortunate dog’s name.

Ryo shook his head. “No point, we might as well just take him home; it’s not far and it’ll be quicker than dragging the owner out in this wind.”

“We don’t have a leash,” Dee objected. “What if he runs off? I’m not gonna stand around callin’ ‘Dick’ at the top of my voice.”

“So we carry him. He’s most likely tired anyway, he’s only got short little legs.”

Dee shoved his hands through his hair, which didn’t do any harm since it was a mess anyway. “Fine,” he said, as Ryo rolled the slip of paper back into the small tube and screwed it back in place on the dog’s collar. “Come on, you.” Scooping the dog off his foot, he picked it up, cradling it against his chest where it promptly shoved its head inside his jacket. “Don’t like the wind, huh? You’d better not drool on my shirt; it’s new.” He glanced at Ryo. “Lead the way, this was your idea. I can’t believe I’m doin’ this; I don’t even like dogs.”

“He’s cute though.”

“I suppose he’s not bad. For a dog.” The dog gripped firmly in case it started wriggling, Dee followed his lover back to the footpath and they made their way to the nearest of the park’s entrances, then crossed the street and walked a couple of blocks to one of the swanky apartment buildings, the domain of some of New York’s wealthier citizens, that were prevalent in this area of Manhattan. Ryo flashed his shield to the doorman, who let them in without comment, and they took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor, then followed the lushly carpeted hallway to apartment 1411. While Ryo knocked on the door, Dee tried to unravel a reluctant Dick from his jacket.

After a few minutes the door was opened by an elderly lady leaning on a walking stick. “Yes?” she asked, peering at Ryo through her glasses.

“Detectives Maclean and Laytner,” Ryo told her, flashing his shield once more. “Are you Mrs Lillian Holloway?”

“Yes, that’s me. What is this about?” Then she spotted what Dee was holding. “Oh! You found Dick! Please, do come in. I reported him missing as soon as the dog walker returned and told me he’d run off, but I didn’t expect the police to find him so quickly. I’m so grateful to you. He’s just a baby, you see; I think the wind must have frightened him.”

They stepped inside and as Ryo pushed the door shut behind them, Dee, having managed to extract Dick’s head from his armpit, set the dog on the floor. Realising that it was home, its tail started wagging, which made most of its body wag too, and it trotted over to its owner, who reached down to pat its head, getting a lot more wagging in response.

“Thank you both so much for finding him,” Miss Holloway said, straightening up again. “I was terribly worried. I did tell the dog walker not to let him off the leash, but she’s new and she must have forgotten.”

“You’re welcome, but really your dog found us. It was just good luck we happened to be in the park. He seems to have taken quite a liking to my partner,” Ryo said with a smile.

“I think he just wanted to use me as a convenient windbreak,” Dee added.

“Oh, I’m sure it was more than that. Dogs are very good judges of people, you know,” Mrs Holloway said firmly. “Dick must have instinctively known he’d be safe with you.”

“Yeah, maybe. Never could ignore anyone, human or animal, in need of help.” Dee hesitated a moment, but curiosity was killing him and he just had to ask. “Why did you call him that?”

Mrs Holloway looked fondly at her dog. “I don’t really know. When I got him I just thought he looked like a Dick.”

Studying the dog, Dee nodded, somehow managing to keep a straight face. “Yeah, I guess I can see that, he does sort of resemble…” 

Ryo dug his elbow sharply into his partner’s ribs before Dee could say anything else. “We should be going.”

“So soon? I was hoping you might stay for a cup of tea, but I suppose you have other work to do, you must be very busy solving crimes and keeping the streets safe. I just want you both to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to bring my Dick safely home.”

“It was our pleasure, we’re just glad we could help.” With that, Ryo steered Dee back out the door, managing to close it behind him before his lover all but collapsed against the wall, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

“Looks like a Dick,” he gasped. “That poor dog, did you see the look on its face? Sort of resigned and long-suffering, like it knows it can’t escape its fate.”

“I think all Dachshunds look like that,” Ryo told him.

“Can you blame them? It’s the shape.” He wiped his eyes. “Other dogs probably make fun of them.” Pushing himself away from the wall, Dee led the way back to the elevator, stepping inside and pushing Ryo up against the side as the door closed behind them. “Y’know, all this Dick talk is makin’ me horny. What say we forget about our walk and just head on back to the apartment? I guarantee we’ll have a lot more fun with ours than old Mrs Holloway will ever get from her Dick,” he said with a wink.

“Dee!” Ryo blushed scarlet again, but as he melted into Dee’s kiss, Dee knew his partner’s answer would be ‘Yes.’

The End


	2. Lucky Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dee comes to the rescue of a certain unfortunately named dog for the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for my own prompt ‘FAKE, Dee/Ryo, Dee gets a dog,’ at fic_promptly.
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

It was sheer chance that Dee happened to be driving along by Central Park, on his way to pick Ryo up one afternoon, but as he passed a row of exclusive apartment buildings he spotted a very unhappy looking dog literally being dragged across the sidewalk on the end of its leash. Dee wasn’t what you’d call a dog person, but cruelty to animals of any kind wasn’t something he’d stand for. Luckily he was a cop, and therefore sworn to uphold the law, so he had every reason to intervene; in fact he was duty bound to do something about it. Besides, there was something familiar about this particular dog; it looked an awful lot like Dick, the sausage dog he and Ryo had returned to its owner a few weeks previously after it had gotten lost in the park, and the person dragging the dog was definitely not Dick’s elderly owner.

Pulling up at the curb, Dee got out of his car and approached the man who was dragging the poor dog. “What d’you think you’re doin’ with that dog?” he demanded to know.

The man scowled at him. “Trying to get the damned thing in the car. What’s it to you anyway?” He yanked harshly on the leash again, dragging the small dog a few more inches. The dog yelped.

“Cut that out, unless you wanna be charged with animal abuse,” Dee snapped, flashing his shield. “Detective Laytner, NYPD. That isn’t your dog; I know for a fact he belongs to Mrs Holloway in 1411, so I’ll ask you again; who are you and what are you doin’ with him?”

The man sighed, annoyed and impatient. “Name’s Denny Wade; I’m the janitor here.” He gestured over his shoulder at the building behind him. “Look, the old lady took a fall this morning and broke her hip, or that’s what I was told. Anyway she’s in the hospital, probably won’t be comin’ back for months, if ever, and she don’t have no family so there’s nobody to look after the mutt. My boss, Mister Coleman; you know, the building manager? Well, he handed me all its stuff and told me to take it to the pound, so that’s what I’m tryin’ to do, only the stupid damned thing won’t cooperate.”

“He’s a living creature, not a thing, and he’s most likely scared. He doesn’t know you, and he doesn’t understand why you’re hurtin’ him. You ever think of pickin’ him up and carryin’ him instead of draggin’ him along like that?” Dee asked scathingly.

“You’re kiddin’, right? I hate dogs, wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole; I’m allergic, see? Only reason I’m doin’ this at all is because you don’t say ‘no’ to Mister Coleman, not if you want to keep your job. I’ve got a wife and two kids to support!”

While they’d been talking, neither of them had been paying any attention to Dick the dog, but when Dee felt an oddly familiar sensation and looked down to see the little dachshund planted firmly on his foot, he realised he wasn’t particularly surprised. He didn’t stop to think, just reached for the leash and whisked it out of Wade’s hand before the other man could react. “This dog isn’t your boss’s to give away, that amounts to theft, so I’m confiscating him until such time as his owner is able to decide what she wants to do about him. You got a problem with that?”

Wade shrugged, unconcerned by the turn of events. “Hey, you’re welcome to it, no skin off my nose; saves me trekkin’ across the city and gettin’ dog hair all over my car. Mister Coleman isn’t gonna care, long as the dog’s out of his building.”

“You said Coleman gave you the dog’s things?”

“Yeah, that’s right, shoved ‘em in two trash bags and told me to deal with ‘em, so I tossed ‘em in the dumpster round the back. Bad enough he expected me to take the dog without having to lug all its junk around too. We about done here? Only, I got other things to be getting on with.”

“No, not quite; you and me, we’re goin’ around the back to the dumpster, and you’re gonna find the two bags you tossed in there and help carry them to my car.”

“Aw, c’mon man, gimme a break can’t you?” Wade whined.

“I already have, takin’ the dog off your hands without pressin’ charges, remember? You should think yourself lucky; you could’ve gotten a hefty fine, maybe even probation, depending on how much harm you’ve done to the dog.”

Wade’s shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh. “Okay, fine, if it’ll get me off the hook. This way.” He started off towards the alley between buildings and Dee followed, with Dick trotting obediently beside him. Glancing back over his shoulder, Wade frowned. “Hey, how come the stupid dog walks for you when it wouldn’t for me?”

“He knows me, and he’s a good judge of character. It’s pretty obvious he doesn’t like you, and I don’t blame him,” Dee smirked.

“Huh. Feeling’s mutual.” Shooting a disgusted glare at Dick, Wade strode onwards, clearly wanting to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.

Round the back of the building, three dumpsters sat in a row beneath the building’s trash chutes. Wade went to the closest one, reaching in and hauling two bags off the top; they hadn’t been there for long, and it was a good neighbourhood so Dee was relieved to see they weren’t covered in disgusting crud. Nevertheless, he had Wade open them both to make sure they were the right bags. They were, which was a relief; he didn’t want to find out later that he’d slung someone’s trash in the trunk of his car. One bag contained a dog bed, brushes, and toys, while the other held dog food and dishes. Trotting closer, Dick stuck his head in the first bag, rummaged around a bit with his nose, and pulled out a small teddy bear, gripping it gently in his mouth and wagging his tail. Dee couldn’t help smiling; must be the dog’s favorite toy.

“You bring that bag,” he told Wade, gesturing at the one containing the food, and picking up the other one himself. 

“How come I have to carry the heavy one?”

Wade was seriously getting on Dee’s nerves. “I could still arrest your sorry ass,” Dee reminded him. “Fact is, you keep bitchin’ about every little thing and I’ll do just that, so what’s it gonna be?”

Grumbling, Wade hefted the heavy bag and with a glare in Dee’s general direction, started to lug it back along the alley to where Dee’s car was waiting.

Dee grinned. “Thought you might see things my way.” Picking up the much lighter bag, he followed Wade to the car and unlocked the trunk. “Okay, load her up.”

Gritting his teeth Wade did as instructed, dumping his bag beside the bag Dee had been carrying. “Is that it? Can I go now or do you wanna torture me some more?”

“Don’t tempt me.” Dee slammed the trunk. “Yeah, get outta here, but remember this; if you ever mistreat any animal again, I will find out about it, and next time I won’t be anywhere near as nice about it.” He smiled pleasantly. “Thanks for your help, Mister Wade. You have a nice day now.” Opening the rear door of the car, Dee lifted the dog onto the backseat, plonking him down and saying firmly, “Stay.” Dick looked at him then lay down with his chin on his teddy bear. Dee closed the door and ran one hand through his hair. “What the hell have I done?” he muttered under his breath. “Ryo’s gonna kill me!” Which reminded him of where he’d been going when he’d spotted the dog. He checked his watch. “Shit, I was supposed to pick him up half an hour ago!” Sliding behind the wheel, he sent his partner a quick text saying he was on his way, fired up the engine, and pulled out into the afternoon traffic.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Ryo was waiting for Dee outside the building where he’d been interviewing a witness, and he slid into the passenger seat as soon as the car pulled up in front of him. “What kept you? I was starting to get worried.”

“Hey, babe, sorry about that, I… um… had a bit of an emergency to deal with.” He pointed towards the backseat.

Ryo twisted to look over his shoulder and his eyebrows shot up. “Is that who I think it is? Did he get lost again?”

“Yes it is, but no, he didn’t get lost. Seems Mrs Holloway fell and broke her hip, there’s no one she could ask to take care of the dog, and I happened to be passin’ by just at the right moment to prevent him being dragged off to the pound. Literally. I confiscated him, didn’t know what else to do, but I wanna get him checked over by a vet, make sure that jerk didn’t hurt him. After that… I’m not exactly sure what to do for the best.” He trailed off, glancing at his partner with a sheepish grin. “Hope you’re not too mad at me.”

“Why would I be mad at you? I would’ve done exactly the same thing. The poor dog must be so confused. As for what we should do, there’s no restriction about keeping dogs in our building so I don’t see any reason why we can’t take care of him until Mrs Holloway recovers. We’ll need to get a few things though; food, and a bed.”

“No need for that; I got all his stuff in the trunk.” 

“Great! That’s one thing less to sort out. He’ll be much better off with his own familiar things around him.”

Dee felt himself relaxing and realised he’d been worried Ryo might say they couldn’t keep the dumb dog. He didn’t even like dogs, but there was just something about this one. Dick trusted him; he couldn’t let the dumb mutt down. “Thanks, babe.”

“What for? Mrs Holloway doesn’t deserve to lose her dog just because she’s suffered an unfortunate accident. You saw how much she loves him.”

“You’re right, it would break her heart. Okay, I clocked us out at the precinct before coming to pick you up, so I guess now all we need to do is find a vet…”

“There’s one not far from my old place; she’s good, she used to treat Bikky’s cat. We can take Dick there for a check-up before heading home.”

“Works for me,” Dee agreed. “There’s just one more thing.”

“What’s that?” Ryo gave his partner a questioning look.

“If he’s gonna be stayin’ with us for a bit, we’ve really gotta change his name. Callin’ him Dick just isn’t gonna work.”

The End


	3. Vet Check-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following an unpleasant ordeal, Dee decides Dick the dachshund needs to be checked over by a vet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 208: Check at fan_flashworks. 
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

Getting out of his car, Dee opened the rear door and plucked Dick the miniature dachshund off the backseat, still not entirely sure what had possessed him to take charge of the dog. He and Ryo both worked full time; what were they going to do with a pet? He must have been struck by a bout of temporary insanity; that was the only explanation. Sure, his blood had boiled when he’d seen the innocent little dog being mistreated by the asshole who’d claimed to be taking him to the pound, but how that had led to Dee offering to give the dumb dog a home while its owner was in the hospital was beyond him.

Still, here he was, complete with dog, taking it to the vet to be checked over for damage. Who knew what harm being dragged along the sidewalk might have done to its little paws? With that in mind, Dee figured he’d best carry the dog; it had grown a bit since the last time they’d met, and now fitted neatly into his arms as if custom-made for that very purpose. He shook his head; he had to stop thinking like that. This was a temporary arrangement, not a permanent adoption; a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, that was all.

“Don’t go gettin’ used to this,” he warned the dog. “I’m not carryin’ you everywhere; you’ve got legs.” The dog licked his chin. “Cut that out,” Dee grumbled as he followed Ryo across the small parking lot to the entrance. “Don’t need my face washin’, and I know where your tongue’s been! Sheesh, do you have any idea how unhygienic that is?”

Ryo held the door open for Dee, who carried the dog into a waiting room packed with other owners and their assorted pets, including a very noisy parrot, all of them waiting to be seen by the vet. As he made his way through the crowded room to the desk, the receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled at him. “Hello. Do you have an appointment?”

“Ah, no.” Dammit, he hadn’t thought of that. Thankfully, just then Ryo joined him and the receptionist’s smile brightened; she clearly recognised him. 

“Detective Maclean, nice to see you again; it’s been a while, hasn’t it? How can we help you today?”

“Hello, Hilary. We were kind of hoping you might be able to fit this little dog in for a check-up. Some idiot was literally dragging him along the sidewalk and we’re concerned he may have been injured.” Dee had told him all about the incident on the drive over.

“Oh, the poor little thing!” The receptionist turned her attention to the dog in Dee’s arms. Dick gave her the best pitiful puppy-eyed look he could muster, which Dee had to admit was really quite impressive. Hilary smiled up at Dee. “I’m sure Doctor Blake will be happy to squeeze you in, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit for the other patients to be seen; we’re a bit busy today.”

“That’s fine,” Ryo assured her. “We don’t mind waiting; we’re not in any rush.”

“Take a seat then; it shouldn’t be too long.”

Dee and Ryo found a couple of vacant chairs side by side in the far corner of the room, next to a woman whose Chihuahua was cowering behind her legs, barely visible. It stuck its head out and growled at Dee as he flopped onto the hard seat, still with his arms full of dog. Dee frowned down at it, wishing he’d sat in the other seat and let Ryo have this one; he’d hated those horrid little yappy dogs ever since one had chased him up a tree a year or two back. Dick leaned over Dee’s arm and growled back at the Chihuahua, which scuttled as far away as it could get, wrapping its leash around its owner’s legs in the process. Dee scratched Dick’s ears, smirking slightly. ‘Take that, you little monster,’ he thought with satisfaction. He debated whether he should set Dick on the floor, but decided against it, just in case the Chihuahua wasn’t quite as intimidated as it appeared. The last thing they needed was to start a dogfight. Besides, the dumb dog seemed comfortable where he was, and he wasn’t that heavy. 

Thankfully, the Chihuahua was called in next so that was one thing less for Dee to worry about. Now if the parrot would just stop with the squawking... It was already starting to give him a headache.

Gradually the waiting room began to empty as one patient after another was called through to the treatment area. It was a huge relief when it was finally the parrot’s turn; after the racket it had been making the relative peace and quiet was sheer bliss.

Forty minutes later, just as Dee was starting to doze off thanks to a combination of the warm room and the almost complete silence that had settled over the waiting area by the time the last patient had been sent in, Hilary called out, “Detective Maclean? Doctor Blake can see you now, just go on through; you know the way.”

“Thanks, Hilary.” Ryo was on his feet and halfway across the waiting room by the time Dee, burdened as he was by an armful of dog, managed to get out of his seat. He was starting to think he should have put the animal on the floor after all; his arms were going to sleep.

“Hello there, Detective Maclean,” Doctor Blake greeted Ryo brightly. “Long time no see. How’re your boy and his cat?”

“Both fine and enjoying the California sunshine last I heard,” Ryo replied with a smile as Dee set Dick on the examination table. “This is my partner, Detective Laytner.”

“Good to meet you, detective. And who have we got here? Well, aren’t you a handsome little fellow?” The vet stroked Dick’s ears, setting his tail wagging. She looked up at Dee enquiringly. “What seems to be the problem with him?”

“I caught some jerk dragging him along by his leash. Pulled him right off his feet and along the ground. Dog doesn’t even belong to him, he’d just been told to take it to the pound because the elderly owner had been admitted to hospital. I just want to make sure he hasn’t been injured,” Dee told her. “No animal should ever be treated like that.”

“I agree; you did the right thing bringing him in. Okay, let’s take a look.” Gently Doctor Blake began to examine the little dog, first checking under his collar and around his head for abrasions, then down his long body, and finally taking a close look at each little paw. Dick rolled onto his back for that. “He’s not even fully grown yet, probably nine or ten months old, still got a bit of filling out to do. He’s been well cared for though.” She straightened up and looked at the two detectives. “Well, there’s some damage but nothing too serious; this little chap’s lucky you intervened when you did or it might have been worse. He has a broken claw on his left hind foot; I’ll trim the jagged edge so he won’t hurt himself with it. Luckily it didn’t break far enough up to bleed so that’s not causing him any pain, but his pads are scraped a bit raw in places and he has a small graze along his left flank. I’ll prescribe some ointment that will soothe the injuries and help them heal. What will happen to him now? Will he still have to go to the pound?”

“No way!” Dee exclaimed. “From what I was told, Mrs Holloway hadn’t even been consulted. The guy who manages the building where she lives just didn’t want the responsibility of finding someone to take care of him. Can you imagine throwing out someone else’s pet because it’s inconvenient?”

“My partner and I know both the dog and his owner,” Ryo explained. “Found him and returned him to her when he got himself lost a few weeks back. If it turns out nobody bothered to ask her what she wants done about her pet while she’s in the hospital, then sending him to the pound practically amounts to theft. Mrs Holloway adores him; she’d be devastated.”

“There’s no family, as far as we know, so I guess we’ll just take care of him for now?” Dee turned the statement into a question, looking to Ryo for confirmation. 

Ryo nodded. “We’ll find out which hospital Mrs Holloway was taken to and let her know we have her dog, so she won’t have to worry about him.”

Doctor Blake smiled. “That’s good to know. He obviously likes you both and feels safe with you.” She handed Dee a form. “If you could fill this out with your name and address, the dog’s details, and his owner’s, for my records. He’s probably registered with another vet in the city.”

“I’m sure he is,” Ryo agreed, “but until we find out where his owner was taken we won’t know which one; that’s why I suggested bringing him here.”

“I’ll check to see if he’s microchipped and make note of the number if he is, then get that ointment.” The vet picked up a scanner and ran it over Dick’s neck until it beeped. “There we go.”

Dee passed across the completed form and the vet filled in the microchip number. She read through the rest of the information, her eyes widening. “He’s called Dick?”

“Yeah,” Dee said, managing to look both pained and amused. “Poor dog. I honestly don’t think Mrs Holloway has any idea…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “If he’s stayin’ with us for any length of time, I think I’ll have to change his name though. People might get the wrong idea if we hang around in the park yellin’ ‘Dick’.” From the corner of his eye he noticed Ryo had turned an interesting shade of pink at his words.

“Believe it or not, I’ve heard worse names,” Doctor Blake told them with a wry smile. “When it comes to naming their pets, some people have astonishingly poor judgement.” She tidied Dick’s broken claw and trimmed the others for him, then fetched a tube of ointment and showed the two men where and how to apply it.

“Is it okay for him to walk?” Dee asked.

“I’d recommend just short walks for the next few days, but if he starts to limp when you’re out with him then pick him up. All done, little fella! You’re such a brave puppy, aren’t you?” Dick wagged himself vigorously at the praise and the fuss Doctor Blake was making of him. Laughing, she gave him a dog treat for being a good boy and Dee lifted him to the floor. “If there’s any problem then bring him back, but he should be fine. I’ll have Hilary send you the bill. You should get it in a few days.”

Ryo thanked the vet and followed Dee and Dick back out to the car, the little dog trotting happily along at Dee’s side.

“Whelp,” Dee said, unlocking his car and lifting Dick onto the backseat, “looks like we’re dog owners now, even if it’s only temporary.”

“We’ll have to dog-proof the apartment,” Ryo told him.

“Ack! Hadn’t thought of that. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be destructo dog and chew everything in sight.”

Ryo chuckled. “I don’t think we need to worry about that; nothing in Mrs Holloway’s apartment looked chewed.”

“Not that we saw.” Dee looked at the dog, once again wondering just what the hell he thought he was doing, volunteering himself and Ryo to take care of it. “If he doesn’t behave he’ll be out on his ear. Hear that, mutt?” 

With a grunt, Dick flopped down on the seat with his teddy bear, looking very much as if he belonged there. At least one of them didn’t seem to be having any doubts about the situation. 

Ryo chuckled. “He looks comfy. I guess we should take our new house guest home.”

“Yeah.” Dee slammed the rear door and went around to the driver’s side. “How much d’you know about looking after dogs?”

“Probably about as much as you do, but it’ll be fine; we’ll figure it out. Can’t be any harder than raising a child.”

“Good point.” Dee started the car. The dog-owning adventure was about to begin; only time would tell whether or not all three of them would survive the experience.

TBC in Part 4


	4. Tour Of Inspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dee and Ryo take Dick the dachshund home with them and introduce him to his new, albeit temporary, place of residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 88: Inspection at beattheblackdog. 
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

Pulling up outside their building, Dee turned off the engine and glanced over his shoulder at the dog on the backseat before turning to regard his partner, a slightly worried expression on his face. “We are doin’ the right thing, aren’t we?”

“Definitely,” Ryo said firmly, unfastening his seat belt. “Someone needs to look after him while Mrs Holloway can’t, and you said yourself she doesn’t have any family.”

“That’s what that idiot Wade told me, it’s just, well, neither of us has ever had a dog and like you said, you don’t know any more about takin’ care of one than I do. We’ll be flyin’ blind.”

“Would you just relax and quit worrying? I’ve never seen you like this! Look, loads of people get dogs, even people like us with no prior experience; looking after one is hardly rocket science. We just have to feed him regularly, make sure he has water to drink, take him for walks, and clean up after him. Anything we don’t know we can look up online.” Ryo went to get out of the car and paused with the door half open. “Aside from that, I think the main thing to remember is not to leave anything lying around that could prove dangerous, and that includes anything with chocolate in it.”

Halfway out the driver’s side door, Dee ducked back down to frown at his partner. “Why chocolate in particular?”

“Something in it is poisonous to dogs, I remember seeing something about it on TV one time; some sweet company thought sending out free samples of chocolate to a random selection of people would be a great publicity stunt. It wasn’t; several dogs got hold of the chocolates and almost died because of it.”

“I hope the owners sued the people responsible.” Dee thought hard, then shook his head. “Nope. Pretty sure all chocolate is secure, but maybe I should keep the dog on his leash until we’ve given the apartment a thorough inspection, just to make sure it’s safe.”

“Probably sensible. Pop the trunk? I’ll move his things into the elevator while you bring… the dog.”

Dee grinned; looked like their guest was going to get called that a lot until they came up with something more suitable; Ryo obviously couldn’t bring himself to call the little dachshund ‘Dick’ any more than Dee could.

“I’ll give ya a hand with the bags, then fetch him.” Dee joined Ryo at the rear of the car, having made sure the doors were shut. He hefted the heavier of the two bags out of the trunk and carried it up the stoop while Ryo followed with the other one. Setting his burden down by the elevator, he pressed the call button and returned to the car to fetch Dick.

The little dog was lying patiently on the back seat, chin still on his teddy bear, like it was his comfort blanket or something. Maybe it was. As he was about to open the door, Dee had a sudden thought and jogging back up the stoop into the building, called out to Ryo, “I think maybe I should take him for a short walk before we come in.”

“Okay, yes, that’s a good idea. I’ll take this stuff up, do a quick safety check, and unpack; that way when you bring the dog in he’ll see all his things and it might help him to settle.” The elevator had arrived and Ryo had already moved the bags inside, so Dee just nodded, left his partner to it, and headed back out to his car.

“Come on, you.” Dee clipped Dick’s leash on, lifted the dog from the back seat and set him on the sidewalk before stuffing the teddy bear in his jacket pocket. Locking the car, he looked down at Dick, who was just standing there looking back up at him, head cocked to one side. “Wanna go walkies?”

The skinny little tail whipped back and forth eagerly. “Woof!”

“Guess that means yes. Right, here we go then.” Dee set off along the sidewalk, walking slowly, letting the little dog have a good look around his new neighbourhood. Dick trotted beside him, pausing for a sniff here and there, only pulling on the leash when he was too far away from a tree or a lamppost he wanted to inspect. Several people stopped to comment on what a cute dog he was, asking his name, but Dee fobbed them off by saying he didn’t have one yet. “Can’t just pick somethin’ at random; it has to suit him,” he explained. It wasn’t really a lie; Mrs Holloway might have believed Dick the perfect name for the miniature dachshund, but since Dee didn’t agree with the old lady’s choice he’d have to give some careful thought to what a more suitable alternative might be.

By the time they’d made it three quarters of the way around the block, Dick had watered two trees, a lamppost, and a fire hydrant, and seemed satisfied that any dogs passing by would know he’d been there. He was also starting to limp a bit because of his sore paws, so Dee carried him the rest of the way along the street, up the stoop, and into the old brownstone, only setting him down when they were in the elevator so he could have a sniff around it and get used to the scent of the two other dogs who lived in the building, a Jack Russell and a miniature poodle. Dick had a cursory sniff, then sat on Dee’s foot as the elevator rose to their floor.

“What’s with the foot fetish?” Dee asked, frowning down at the dog. The only response he got was a wagging tail and a small brown body leaning against his leg. At least this dog liked him, for whatever reason. If all dogs were as good-natured Dee wouldn’t have a problem with them. Unfortunately, too many seemed to be bad-tempered, snappy little things with a taste for human flesh, judging by the number of times he’d had sharp little teeth sunk into his ankle during the course of his work. It was hardly surprising he’d developed a deep distrust of the creatures and preferred to steer well clear of them. He didn’t enjoy being a chew toy.

Reaching the top floor, Dee slid the grille aside and paused. “You’re gonna have to shift your butt; I can’t walk with ya on my foot.” He nudged the dog gently with his toes. That did the trick; Dick stood up and Dee led the way to the apartment’s main door, finding that Ryo had left it unlocked for him. “Is it safe to come in yet?” he called, poking his head inside.

“I think so,” Ryo replied, emerging from the kitchen. “I’ve given everywhere a thorough inspection, put things away or out of reach, and made sure there’s no food or chemicals in any of the cupboards a dog might be able to open. As long as we remember to keep doors closed we should be alright. Just keep him on the leash while he has a look around, so he can be stopped quickly if he tries to do anything he shouldn’t.”

Dee led Dick inside, holding the leash loosely, letting the dog go wherever he wanted, sniffing around the furniture and once or twice disappearing underneath it. The main advantage of being so low to the ground was that unlike Dee, Dick didn’t need to detour around things and could instead take the more direct route.

In the kitchen, Dick found his dishes set out on his familiar mat, the water bowl freshly filled, so he stopped for a drink, lapping thirstily before moving on to inspect the lounge area. Ryo had placed the dog’s bed in a cosy corner, his box of toys beside it. Trotting over to the bed, Dick settled down on it and yawned. Dee crouched down to unclip the leash and give Dick his teddy bear, rubbing the little dog’s ears gently. “You’ve had quite a day, haven’t you?” 

The dog licked his fingers and yawned again, flopping onto his side.

“He could take the prize for the world’s best behaved dog,” Ryo said with a grin, coming to stand beside his partner and look down at the little dog.

“Doubt that’ll last; he’s been through a lot today so he’s probably tired, sore, and a bit confused. Once he’s settled in he’ll be into everything, you just wait and see,” Dee warned.

“Can’t be any worse than Bikky,” Ryo replied with a shrug. “It’s getting late; how about we order takeout tonight and then I’ll phone around the hospitals, find out where Mrs Holloway was taken? The sooner we track her down the better; I’m sure she must be worried about her dog so I want to set her mind at rest as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, good thinking, and while you do that I’ll go online and do some research, find out everything we need to know about looking after a… whatever the hell he is.”

“Miniature dachshund,” Ryo supplied. 

“Right; that.” Dee inspected his hand, still wet from being thoroughly licked. “Think I’d better wash up before I do anything else though, don’t wanna get dog slobber over everything,” he added, heading towards the bathroom. It had only been a few short hours but he could already tell that owning a dog, even just temporarily, was going to take some getting used to.

TBC in Part 5 – Dog’s Dinner


	5. Dog’s Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dee was thinking they could relax until dinner, but there’s a small dog needing to be fed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for my own prompt ‘FAKE, Dee/Ryo, Dog's dinner,’ at fic_promptly.
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

Their own dinner ordered by phone from their favourite Chinese takeaway, Ryo got up off the sofa and started towards the kitchen.

“Hey! Where’re ya goin’?” Dee had been hoping to put the time it took the food to arrive to good use by indulging in a bit of smooching. He and Ryo hadn’t had much time to themselves due to work and then the whole dog thing.

“To feed the dog, of course,” Ryo told him. “Unlike you, he probably hasn’t eaten all day. He’s bound to be hungry.”

Dee frowned; maybe his impulsive decision to look after the dog wasn’t such a great idea after all, not if it distracted Ryo’s attention away from him. Why should he take second place to a mutt in his own home? He trailed after his lover, leaning against the kitchen counter as Ryo got the bag of dog food out of the cupboard, setting it on the counter and putting his glasses on to read the feeding instructions. Dee was abruptly distracted from admiring Ryo by a warm weight on his foot and looked down to find Dick sitting there. He must have heard the cupboard opening and come to investigate. His little tail was wagging furiously, slapping against Dee’s ankle.

“Someone knows it’s dinner time.”

“Hm?” Ryo looked up at Dee, then followed his partner’s pointing finger downwards to the dog. He laughed. “You have sharp ears, don’t you?” he said, addressing the dog.

“They’re more floppy than sharp,” Dee disagreed.

“I meant he has good hearing.” Ryo tuned back to the bag of dog food, opening it and finding the measuring scoop inside. Checking the instructions again, he half filled the scoop and poured the contents into Dick’s food dish.

“That’s all he gets for his dinner? It doesn’t look very appetising.” Dee wrinkled his nose. “It’s just a bunch of dry biscuits.”

“It’s high protein puppy food, Dee. As long as the dog likes it, that’s all that matters. No one’s asking you to eat it.”

“Good thing too, because I wouldn’t, not even on a dare! Are you sure that’s enough for him? Looks like barely a couple of mouthfuls.”

“He’s only little. It says on the bag from six to twelve months he should have half a scoop twice a day. As long as he remains a healthy weight, then he’s getting the right amount. We don’t want him getting fat. According to this, once he’s a year old he’ll need to be switched gradually to a similar food formulated for adult dogs, but from what Doctor Blake said, that’s still a couple of months away. With any luck he’ll be back with his owner by then.”

“I still think it looks like a starvation diet.”

Ryo shook his head. “Dogs aren’t the same as people, I’m sure this will be plenty for him.” He closed and sealed the bag before setting the dish of food on Dick’s mat. The little dog gazed hungrily at it, practically drooling, but didn’t move off Dee’s foot.

“What’s wrong with him?” Dee asked worriedly.

“Looks like he’s been trained to leave his food until he’s given permission to eat.”

“Huh, seems a bit unfair to me.” Dee wriggled his toes. “Go on then. Eat your dinner.” Dick looked up at him hopefully and Dee turned helplessly to Ryo. “What’s the command word?”

“How should I know?”

“Um,” Dee thought hard. “Chow time?” he tried. “Grub’s up?”

Dick didn’t budge, just whined faintly.

“Oh great, now what’re we gonna do? He’s gonna starve to death if we can’t figure this out!”

“I know.” Ryo was thinking hard too; suddenly he grinned. “Snap your fingers.”

“What? Why?” 

“Just do it.”

“Fine.” Dee did as instructed and the little dachshund practically dived headlong into his dish, eating as fast as he could. Dee turned to Ryo. “How the hell did you know that would work?”

“I didn’t for sure, it was just a hunch, but I remember Mrs Holloway had one of those clicker things on a chain around her neck and I figured she must have used it to train him. Since we don’t have one yet, I thought snapping your fingers would be the next best thing.”

“So why didn’t you do it?”

Sheepishly Ryo held up his hand and tried, but… “I’ve never been able to do it,” he admitted, “and I have no idea why.”

Dee chuckled. “Well, guess I can give the command until we get a clicker. In the meantime, the dog’s got his dinner, so how about we go relax on the sofa until ours gets here?”

“Okay, but he’s going to need to be walked once he’s finished eating.”

“What, again? I only walked him a little while ago!”

“Yes, again. Unless you want a mess to clean up.”

“Fine,” Dee grumbled. “Who knew looking after a dog meant so much work? And how come I get to do all the walking?”

“Well, I’ll take him if you don’t want to do it…”

“I didn’t say that. Maybe we could take turns? I’ll walk him now, you can take him out before bed or something.” This was why Dee preferred cats; they were a whole lot easier to look after. “D’you think we could teach him to use a litter tray like a cat?” Leaving Ryo laughing, Dee went to fetch Dick’s leash from the table by the door. He intended to be all ready when the dog decided it was time for walkies.

TBC in Part 6


	6. Wake-Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dee and Ryo have a lot to get used to now they’re sharing their apartment with a small guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written at beattheblackdog, using Challenge 57: Scratch.

At first Dee wasn’t sure what had woken him, but then he heard something strange. He’d lived here for almost ten years, knew every sound the old building made, but this one wasn’t anything he’d ever heard here before. He lay completely still and listened; there it was again, a faint scratching sound. Carefully, so as not to disturb Ryo, who was still sound asleep, he slipped out of bed, tugged on a pair of sweatpants, and slid his gun from its holster before making his way as silently as possible to the bedroom door. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him it was just after seven in the morning; not the usual time for a break-in, but this was New York so you could never be entirely sure.

_Scratch, scratch, scratch._

The scratching sound came again, louder this time. Cracking open the bedroom door, Dee cautiously peeked out; no intruders were visible.

_Whine._

Dee looked down and felt the tension drain out of him.

“Oh, it’s you.” How could he have forgotten about their houseguest? The little dachshund was sitting outside the bedroom door one paw raised mid-scratch, holding his leash in his mouth and fidgeting.

“Dee? Is everything okay?” Ryo asked sleepily from the bed.

“It’s fine; dog needs to go for a walk, that’s all,” Dee called over his shoulder, then to the dog, “Be right there, just let me pull some clothes on.” He closed the bedroom door, returned his gun to its holster, and quickly tugged on a long-sleeved t-shirt and sneakers.

“Better take a bag to clean up after him,” Ryo said.

“Yeah, I know, I already did that last night; there were some in with his things. Won’t be long.” Dee bent to give Ryo a quick kiss. “Hell of a thing; don’t have to go to work today, but have to get up early anyway for the dog. I still think we should train him to use a litter tray like Bikky’s cat…” Dee muttered to himself as he left the bedroom. He clipped Dick’s leash on and led the small dog out of the apartment, then up the stairs to the roof, that being much closer than the street.

He let Dick off his leash so the dog could have a wander around after taking care of business. While Dick was exploring the unfamiliar rooftop, Dee leant on the surrounding wall and stared out across the city. It was a bit chilly out, hardy surprising for early November, but the sun was up, the sky was mostly clear of clouds, and it looked like it would be a nice day; too nice to waste by spending it indoors. A plan started to form in his mind as he turned away from the view to locate the dog, who was pottering about, sniffing here and there.

“C’mon, Dog. Here, boy.” Even up on the rooftop, with nobody else around, there was no way he was calling ‘Dick’. Thankfully he didn’t need to; the miniature dachshund looked up, trotted over to him and let him clip the leash back on, then trundled behind him down the stairs again. Going down was more difficult for the small dog than going up, his legs were so short, but there weren’t all that many stairs so he managed well enough.

“That was fast,” Ryo greeted them as they came back into the apartment.

“Yeah, I just took him up to the roof, figured that would be quicker. I promised him a proper walk after breakfast though; it’s nice out, so I thought maybe we could take him to the park. It’s only a few blocks away and it has an area set aside for dogs. The grass’ll be softer on his sore feet than the sidewalk.”

“Good idea; we can take his ball with us. Why don’t you shower while I fix breakfast?”

Dee didn’t need telling twice, heading for their bathroom.

Scratch, scratch, whine.

Ryo turned to see Dick in the kitchen, scratching at the door to the cupboard where Ryo had stowed his food the previous evening. The smart little pup had sniffed it out. “Looks like someone’s ready for his breakfast!”

“Woof!” Dick agreed, tail wagging furiously. 

Laughing, Ryo went to feed the dog before fixing breakfast for himself and Dee. The way he saw it, having a dog wasn’t all that much different from having a child, except that Bikky had been able to open the cupboards and help himself to food when he was hungry and Dick, thankfully, couldn’t. It wouldn’t do to return him to Mrs Holloway overweight and looking more like a sausage than a sausage dog. While researching the miniature dachshund’s food and care requirements the previous night, he and Dee had seen a number of pictures of dogs that had been fed too much and exercised too little. That was not going to happen to Dick! Ryo set the dish down on the dog’s mat, and then remembered; he had no clicker and Dee was in the shower. After several failed attempts at snapping his fingers, he tried clicking his tongue instead and realised he should have thought of that the night before. It worked like a charm; Dick launched himself across the kitchen to wolf down his breakfast in double quick time. There was nothing wrong with the dog’s appetite; he’d probably eat whatever was put in front of him, not to mention anything left lying around within reach.

Breakfast was almost ready when Dee returned, showered and dressed. As the two men sat down to eat, with Dick beneath the table, probably sitting in his favourite place on Dee’s foot, Ryo wondered how long it would be before his lover took to sneaking Dick a bit of sausage or bacon in the morning, or whatever they were having for dinner at night. Despite all his talk about not liking dogs, Ryo could tell that Dick already had Dee wrapped around his little paw. He’d have to have a word with his partner about not spoiling the pup. And while he was at it, he should probably do his best to resist the pleading look in those big, brown puppy dog eyes himself!

TBC


	7. In Good Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo goes to visit old Mrs Holloway in the hospital to let her know her dog is in good hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Challenge 213: Amnesty at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 179: Dog. 
> 
> **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

After breakfast, Ryo left the dishes to Dee, grabbed his jacket, and headed out, promising to be back in plenty of time to go to the park with his partner and their temporary dog. By the time they’d gotten their house guest settled the night before, had dinner, and traced which hospital Dick’s owner, Mrs Holloway, had been taken to, it had been much too late to visit her, but Ryo felt that letting the old lady know her pet was safe and being looked after was something that shouldn’t be put off any longer. She would surely be worried about her faithful friend.

Arriving at the hospital, he headed straight to reception to double-check the room number, only to be told by a rather officious receptionist that it wasn’t visiting hours yet.

“I know it isn’t, but this can’t wait.” He showed the woman his badge. “Police business.”

The woman changed her tune immediately. “Oh, well of course, detective. Mrs Lillian Holloway, you said?” She tapped at her computer keyboard. “Here we are. Room 518, south wing; take the elevator over there to the fifth floor, turn right as you get off and go to the end of the corridor, then turn left, go through two sets of double doors and turn right, that will take you into Geriatric Care. Someone there will direct you to Mrs Holloway’s room.”

“Thank you.” Ryo followed the receptionist’s directions, going up in the elevator then wending his way through the maze of corridors that made up the hospital. The place was so big that without directions it would have been very easy to lose his way. Reaching the department he wanted, he pushed the door open and went inside, looking around for assistance.

A nurse coming out of a nearby room spotted him. “Excuse me,” she said. “It isn’t visiting hours yet; you shouldn’t be in here. Come back this afternoon.”

Once again, Ryo produced his badge. “Detective Maclean. I’m looking for Mrs Lillian Holloway, room 518.”

“Are you sure you’ve got the right person?” The nurse looked dubious. “She’s eighty-seven and has a broken hip! I can’t imagine how she could possibly be in trouble with the police.”

Ryo smiled reassuringly. “She isn’t, but she may be the victim of an attempted theft. Someone tried to take her dog, a pedigree miniature dachshund, from her apartment building and since she’d just been admitted to hospital, we don’t believe he had her permission. I need to talk to her to make sure. It won’t take long.”

“Oh, well that’s different. Come with me and I’ll show you to her room.” The nurse led Ryo along a couple more corridors before opening the door to a private room. “Mrs Holloway? There’s a detective here to see you.” She stepped aside to let Ryo enter. “I would ask that you don’t tire her out. Mrs Holloway needs her rest,” she told him firmly as she left, closing the door behind her.

Mrs Holloway peered up at Ryo through her glasses and a smile brightened her face. “I know you! You were one of the nice detectives who found my little Dick and brought him home when he got lost.”

Ryo winced slightly at her phrasing but returned her smile. “That’s right, Mrs Holloway. How are you feeling?”

“Oh, you know, as well as can be expected I imagine. I fell and broke my hip, so silly of me; I spilt some water on the floor, went to get something to mop it up with, then forgot where it was and slipped in it. Poor Dick was quite frantic when I couldn’t get up again. It’s a good thing I have one of those clever emergency button things. Help arrived very quickly, and they’re taking good care of me here. Everyone is very nice, but I’m worried about Dick. He’s all alone; I’ve been here since yesterday morning and I don’t know if anyone has been in to check on him. I don’t have any family I can ask. What will become of him?”

“That’s actually why I’m here,” Ryo told her, taking off his jacket and sitting down in the chair beside the bed. “To set your mind at rest, I mean. Dick is fine. My partner happened to see someone trying to take him away yesterday, and when he found out what had happened to you, he offered to look after your dog until you recover.”

“Really? Oh, that is so kind of him! I was dreadfully afraid Dick would have to go to the pound, and I’m sure he wouldn’t be at all happy there. He’s been with me since he was ten weeks old. The thought of him being in a strange place without any of the comforts of home… Well, it was very upsetting.”

“I’m sure it was, but you don’t need to worry any longer. Your building’s caretaker made sure my partner got all of Dick’s things; his bed, food, dishes, and toys. He’s settling in well and when I leave here, my partner and I are going to take him to the park for a run. It’s a lovely day and we could all do with some fresh air and exercise.”

“I’m sure Dick will like that, he does enjoy his walks. That’s something I miss, you know; I’ve had dogs all my life and I always used to take them for long walks. I can’t manage to walk Dick very often these days, I’m getting too old, but I still like having a dog for company, and it’s been easy enough to hire someone to walk him for me. It’s so strange not having him with me though. Last night I kept expecting him to jump up on the bed. He’s not supposed to, but he still does that sometimes, the little scamp! I probably shouldn’t let him, but… Well, it’s hard to say no to him.”

“I’ve noticed,” Ryo agreed with a laugh. “Here, I bought some photos of him with me.” Ryo pulled an envelope from his pocket; he’d taken several pictures of the little dog the previous evening, printing them out so Mrs Holloway could keep them. He thought they might make her feel a little less lonely. “Here he is with his favourite teddy bear.” He handed Dick’s owner a picture of the little dog with the soft toy in his mouth. “Here’s one of him in his bed.” Dick was sprawled on his side, looking relaxed and comfy. “Waiting for his dinner.” The little dachshund was sitting up on his haunches, begging, and practically drooling. “And one of him with my partner.” Dick was sitting in his favourite place and looking up at the camera, his little tail wagging so hard it was just a blur. “For some reason he seems to like sitting on Dee’s foot.”

Mrs Holloway laughed. “He’s a real character, isn’t he? Does such funny things, but I’ve never seen him do that before.”

“He did it when we first came across him in the park, just walked right up to Dee and sat on him; now he does it all the time. I think perhaps it makes him feel safe. Dee has that effect on people.”

“Well, Dick is obviously happy with your partner; that’s good to know.”

“He does seem to be. He’s really taken to Dee, although I’m sure he misses you. We wanted to let you know as soon as possible so you could stop worrying about him and concentrate on getting better. You can rest assured that he’s in good hands, although I suspect he’s probably going to get a bit spoiled. Hard to resist those pleading puppy dog eyes.”

“I spoil him a bit myself,” Mrs Holloway admitted with a guilty smile. “He’s such a charming little dog.”

“He certainly is.” Ryo smiled back. “Now, I was told not to tire you out so I should probably go, but either I or my partner will visit you every week to keep you up to date on whatever mischief Dick is getting into.”

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your kindness. I’ll reimburse you of course. Taking care of a dog can be quite costly.”

Ryo shook his head. “That’s not necessary, we’re happy to look after him, and besides, Dee could use the exercise, he can be a bit lazy. Keep the pictures; I’ll bring some more next time I visit.” Ryo stood up and put his jacket back on. “You just rest and recover, and if you need anything at all, just call. I’ve written our phone numbers on the backs of the pictures in case you need to get in touch for any reason.”

“Thank you, detective… I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

“Maclean. Randy Maclean, and you’re welcome. I’ll see you again soon, Mrs Holloway.” Ryo left the old lady propped against her pillows, looking at the pictures of her dog; he only wished he could find a way to smuggle the little dachshund into the hospital for a visit, but the nurses would probably have a fit. Perhaps when Mrs Holloway was a bit better he and Dee could bring Dick to the hospital and one of them could take the old lady outside in a wheelchair so she could visit with him. He’d have to have a word with the nurses in a week or two and see what could be arranged. Right now though, he needed to get home; there was a little dog there waiting to go to the park.

TBC in Part 8


End file.
